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Al Smith Dinner, New York City, October 16, 1968

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Al Smith Dinner, New York City, October 16, 1968 •. REHA.RKS OF VICE PRESIDENT HUBERT H. HUMPHREY AT THE ALFRE I:> C. SMITH "'1EMORii\L DINNER Grand Ballroom Waldorf-Astoria Hotel Ne~v Y0rk, New York Wednesday, Octoher 16, 1968 Your Excellency, your Excellency, Archbishop Cooke, Mr. nresident, Governor Rockefeller and Mayor Lindsay and my friend, Mr. Nixon, and distinquished lacies and qentlemen, and Senator McCarthy, wherever you are. (Lauqhter and applause) Charlie, Your Excellency, for a while I thouaht that the suqg~stion that hac been made here toniaht that the ~resinent 0f the United States miqht serve as referee was somewhat within what I thought was fair play from my side of the fence. (Laughter) But, after havinq listenec to Richard Nixon, I am not so sure that I am qoing to trust the President toniqht. (Laughter) But, you have made me feel very qond, Dick, when you descrihed winner and loser. I have been readinq the nolls. (Laughter) Darned if you don't make it seem almost worthwhile. (Applause and laua hter) And I am ha-py that mv mother isn't here toniaht much as I would love to have her here,because my father once told me, mother was a sweetheart, wife, and he loved her dearly, and admonished his sons to respect their mother, but he said, Son, I have qot to confi,.::e in you. She> is politically unreliahle. (Laughter and applause) And I will tell you, Dick, if you keep talkinq like that, y0u are apt to get mother's vote. (Laughter and applause) I thought I had that one nailed down. (Lauqhter) My dear friend, Mr. Farley, Jim, a friend of my father anc1 frienrl of mine, this is a wonderful, wonc1erful eveninq. This is truly an ecumenical occasion, both spiritual and political, I miaht add. (Lauqhter) Sort of what they call those ecumenical political hapneninas. ~n~ we live in a w onderful country. My, it is c wonderful country. (Applause) You have already been told that there are three men here whn have- served in the office of Vice President. ~·Tell, Dick Nixon and I know that this is the kind of a country where any poor boy can grow up to be Vice President. (Applause) It is one of th0se chances you have to take. (Applause and lauqhter) And we have both taken it. Well, I am delighted also to be here at this qreat dinner that honors, you will pardon me, Dick, a great Democrat that is the only partisan reference I shall make for the moment -- (Laughter) -- but also a great churchman and I am also very pleased that my friend, Mr. Nixon, is on the same platform with me, almost within camera range. (Lauqhter) It is all in good fun. Don't worrv ahout it. We plan on talkino to each other af·Ler November. It just depends on where we are . .,· 2 living. (Applause) But I really thought better of my friend. I never knew that he aspired to live in public housinq. (Laughter) Whatever the -- what the television networks, the United States Congress and my telegrams couldn't accomplish, Archhishop Cooke has accomplished. (Applause) In fact, I am about to make a qreat political announcement. I Wish I had Ardhbishop Co0ke as my campaiqn manager (Lauqhter and applause) and my advance man, and my finance chairman. (Laughter and applause) Richard Nixon -- I am qoing to call him affectionately, Dick, if you will oermit me so, because we address each other as Dick and Hubert. You would be surprised, we really do talk to each other. (Laughter) He remembers that some eight years aqo when he \-Tas r.n this platform with another candidate for President, Jack Kennedy referre0 that night to some of the cifferences that were evicent in the audience <bd I want to say tonioht I think it is a ,.,0nderful, wonderful thing to be able to brino people of such basic different philosophi.s together so that they can discuss their differences, and I have really looked forward to what Gnvernor Rockefeller and Mayor Lindsay and Dick Nixon had to say toniqht. Now, His Excellency may even perform a real miracle toniqht. In fact, t think he has already done it. He may be able to hold my speech down to about ten or 12 minutes. (Laughter and applause) There is only one other man that has ever heen able to do that and he is to my left and your riqht. (Applause and laughter) But tonight we join in a great and common cause. We join t ogether as one great American family and we are all here in the cause of charity, and may I suoqest that in a few moments, the ushers will pass among you for contributions to the Democratic Party. (Laughter) In my present positicn in light of what you all know and have heard, I take a little heart from Harry Truman's carnpaiqn in 1948. In· fact, Djck, I have to. (Laughter) And I say that in all respect to one of the best friends that I have in New York, to Governor Thomas Dewey, another qreat man. (Applause) I feel a little better because I remember another political year and if any of you do not share my enthusiasm for 1948, I am very sure that you will share my enthusiasm and admiration for the Democratic candidate of 1928. I am qoinq to make an announce- ment here that no other candidate in this election can make. My father was Al Smith's County Chairman in Spink County, South Dakota. (Applause) And may I say that in those precincts, if it wasn't illeoal and immoral, at least it was incredible. (Laughter and applause) Now, the Democratic candidate of that year, thatrnan that they called the Happy Warrior, he warned that prosperity was fraqile. He said then that disarmament was essential and he said that the world we see was frauoht with danger, a prophet before his time, unlistened to. He sooke then as he did all of his life of huildinq a stronger and a better America, strenatheninq of our economy and above all of our moral purpose, and in his acceptance speech, he spoke for men of goodwill of both parties 1 3 he spoke for men of goodwill of h~th narties when he said these words: "Government shouldbe constructive, not destructivf', Progressive, not reactionary." And then, he said: "I am entirely unwillin0 to accept the old order of thinas as the best unless and until I become convinced that it cannat ~e mane better." Well, I think everyone here knows that the story of ~merica is that we can make it better, that we are willinq to accept chanqe <hd that we are willinq to direct its course. .7\.nd when the I<u Klux Klan in those days burned its crosses as he campaiqneo, Al Smith warned this nation that it could lose its soul. And it came close to it. And then, I remember, too, that in 1960 there was another man of Catholic faith, John Kennedy, and as the camnaign beqan, it was said that his reliqion would hurt him, but tohis everlastinq credit, Richard Nixon, his opponent that year, and my onponent this year, declared that reliqion should not he an issue in the American political scene. (Applause) So, the first of bigotry which burned fiercely in 1928 were dampened in l96n and we salute you, sir. (Applause) Dut there are those of the extreme riqht and the extreme left, of the extremes, who are trying to fan those fires of biqotry once again. In 1928 religion was theissue. In 1968 it is race. And we hear a slur against hath hlack and whitefrom irres~onsible voices. But I do not believe and I d0 not believe that you believe that the extremists will succeed. I helieve that America is brave enough to reject appeals t o fear and it is compassionate enouah to reject repression and I helieve that it is wise enouqh to reject bigotry from any source in this land. (Applause) And I believe, too, that ~~erica is stronq enouqh and its people, when inspired, are great enouqh to reject the spirit of suspicion and to replace it with that wholesome spirit of trust, and I know and every man on this platform knows that the world is watching us, and here is the very essence of the 0uestion that is before this Nation this year. Shall our Nation he divided by fear or shall it be united by faith? Shall we trust one another? Can we create the dream of every dreamer in this land, and of every patriot, of one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all? (Applause) Can we vote our hopes and not our hates? And can we see a new day where opportunity for every American is a fact and not a fiction? Ann can we judge a man not by his race or by his last name or by his reliqi0n, but rather, will we judqe him by his merit and by his performance? You see, I believe we can. In fact, I know we must. I know that the world awaits our answer. They are waitinq to find out will we give to humanity inspiration or will be aaain settle for desperation? TheA! Smith Foundation is dedicated to this qreat work, this great work of human understanding, of helpina the noor, the disinherited and the disadvantaged, and our late and beloved friend, that noble spirit, Cardinal Spellman, who we remember toniqht ana revere, he fully understood this cause.
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